The present invention relates to a device which allows surgical instruments, such as an endoscope, to be handled, that is to say positioned and displaced, during a surgical operation.
For many years there have been aids taking the form of mechanical devices capable of carrying surgical instruments intended for assisting the surgeon during operations.
Improvements have been made to these aids, so that these devices can be displaced and can, where appropriate, actuate these surgical instruments, particularly scopes.
These devices are essentially intended for keeping the surgeon""s hands free, so that he no longer has to break off performing an act in order, for example, to displace the scope or has to entrust the handling of the latter to an assistant.
However, most of the various known devices do not afford accuracy in the positioning of the instrument and stability in holding and/or displacing it which are sufficient for uses in the medical field, such as surgical acts.
In particular, an endoscope stabilization device is known, as published in the document U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,601, which comprises an independent bracket provided with a multiple-axis robot which makes it possible to execute rotational movements about vertical axes in order to cover a horizontal plane (XY) parallel to the patient. This device has the disadvantages of requiring a combination of a plurality of movements, in order to displace a scope in the directions and orientations desired by the surgeon, and of obstructing the surgeon""s range of action by the presence of arms which are displaced in the horizontal plane (XY) above the patient.
The document WO94/26167 also discloses a positioning device intended for carrying an instrument for laparoscopic surgery uses which provides a spherical centre of rotation of the said instrument, this centre being formed, for example, by the point of penetration into the patient""s stomach. It is found, however, that this device will not make it possible to execute a translational movement along the axis of the instrument, which movement must be made possible so that a scope can be used.
The document WO95/16396 describes a device for the handling of a surgical instrument with the aid of a plurality of successive arms which execute rotations about vertical axes, as proposed above, the device making it possible to obtain an incremental displacement of the head of the scope as a result of a complex and detailed calculation of the various movements of the actuators. However, these movements are obtained by means of three successive changes of Cartesian co-ordinates, thus making the display of the movements relatively complex. In order to provide a decision-making aid to the handling of the instrument, a voice control may also be proposed. This voice control does not, however, make it possible to carry out small rapid and/or high-rate displacements.
The documents EP-A-0293760 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,649 relate to the same handling device which comprises a vertical foot experiencing a first vertical rotational movement. The second movement is a rotation along an axis orthogonal to the vertical axis. This makes it possible to carry out a displacement of the entire device over the patient himself, thus limiting the surgeon""s range of action.
The present invention aims to propose a device for the handling of surgical instruments which is of relatively simple design and has the smallest possible overall size.
Another object of the present invention is to propose a device which as far as possible allows the surgeon""s hands to be kept free.
Another object of the present invention is as far as possible to reduce the obstruction of the surgeon""s field of action.
Another object of the present invention is to propose a device which makes it possible to have a combination of simple movements reproducing the three fundamental movements involved in exploring the field of vision.
Another object of the present invention is to propose a control device which is simple and of very small overall size, such that it allows other instruments to be handled.
Other objects and advantages will be gathered from a reading of the following descriptive note.
The present invention relates to a device for the handling of a surgical instrument, said device being composed of a fixed support element associated with at least:
a first moveable element articulated on the fixed support element about a first axis essentially parallel to the plane in which the patient is arranged, thus generating a first movement;
a second moveable element articulated on the end of the first element about a second axis essentially parallel to the plane in which the patient is arranged, thus generating a second movement;
a deformable third element fastened on one side to the end of the second moveable element and capable of executing a third rotational movement about a third axis;
a gripping element fastened to the deformable element on the opposite side to that of the second element;
a device for securing a surgical instrument to the gripping element; and
action means making it possible to execute rotational movements about the various axes.
This means, in general terms, that the first and second movements take place about essentially horizontal axes, particularly when the plane in which the patient is arranged is itself horizontal. Preferably, the two horizontal axes are parallel to one another, and their projections in the plane of the patient are orthogonal to the axis of the patient.
Preferably, the first and second moveable elements take the form of articulated arms, whilst the deformable element takes the form of a deformable and articulated quadrilateral.
The second articulated moveable element has two points of articulation, one of which can slide in a slideway and the other of which can be blocked or free.
According to a particular embodiment, the gripping element is arranged in a slideway integral with the deformable element.
The support element is fastened to a rail integral with the operating table with the aid of a fastening device.
According to a first embodiment, this fastening device comprises at least two boxes which execute a first movement orthogonal to the patient""s bed and a longitudinal second movement parallel to the patient""s bed. A screw makes it possible to carry out the movement of the first box in the second box so as to obtain the first movement which is orthogonal to the patient""s bed. The second movement, which is longitudinal, is carried out with the aid of a third box which comprises rolling bearings which slide on a slideway. The fastening of the device is carried out when one or more screws are tightened, the rail at the same time being clamped between the clamps and a suitable element.
According to another embodiment, the longitudinal movement is carried out with the aid of a plurality of, preferably four rolling bearings using the rail of the operating table as a slideway, a lower clamp making it possible by means of a handwheel to immobilize the assembly as a whole on the said rail.
The fastening device may be reversed by rotation about a vertical axis and is adjusted by sliding along the fastening rail integral with the operating table.
Moreover, according to a preferred embodiment, the handling device comprises a control device which consists of a mini-keyboard with at least six keys for two or three fingers and the inner part of which is of triangular shape. This control device is completely independent and comprises a transmitter which transmits the commands to the main case, this transmitter taking the form of a small case of triangular shape.